Untouchable: World’s Mightiest Military Loses Control of Spending on Foreign Firms

Untouchable: World’s Mightiest Military Loses Control of Spending on Foreign Firms

Bribery cases in which investigators can't follow the money. Alleged offers of prostitutes to win lucrative defense contracts. U.S. tax dollars that wind up in the hands of the enemy. There are risks to the military's dependence on foreign firms – and challenges in making sure money is well spent.

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VIDEO: How Wall Street Can Still Win

How Wall Street Can Still Win

A bill-signing is only the beginning. Less visibly now, financial interests aim to weaken reform. Against 3,000 industry lobbyists, can a "rag tag" band of consumer advocates prevail?  

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Details of Deals Between Banks and Colleges Spur Reaction

Details of Bank and College Deals Spur Reaction

Investigative fund's credit card story inspires a congressman, a one-woman protest and some citizen journalism. By Ben Protess

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As Doctors Shift to Electronic Health Systems, Signs of Harm Emerge

As Doctors Shift to Electronic Health Systems, Signs of Harm Emerge

A device that is central in the shift toward electronic medical records systems has been linked to instances of death or injury, according to an Investigative Fund review of Food and Drug Administration data. By Fred Schulte and Emma Schwartz Read more...

Weighing Safety of Weed Killer in Drinking Water, EPA Relies Heavily on Industry-Backed Studies

Weighing Safety of Weed Killer in Drinking Water, EPA Relies Heavily on Industry

Companies with a financial interest paid for thousands of studies federal regulators are using to assess the health risks of a common herbicide -- while independent studies documenting potentially harmful effects on humans are not included in research the EPA deems relevant.  By Danielle Ivory

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Follow-up: Baltimore Lawmakers Seek Overhaul of Tax Lien Sale

Following Investigative Fund story on woman losing her home because of a small unpaid water bill, legislators are asked to restrict lien sales over small debts. By Ben Protess, Lagan Sebert and Fred Schulte

 

By Fred Schulte, Ben Protess and Lagan Sebert

FDA, Obama Digital Medical Records Team at Odds over Safety Oversight

A big hospital system's computers go awry, sending doctor's instructions to the wrong patient records and underscoring the risks of new medical technology. Despite high stakes for President Obama and taxpayers, the administration resists national tracking of such errors and their causes.

By Fred Schulte and Emma Schwartz

Congressman, University Deny Earmark Abuse

University's maritime lab denies it will share earmark dollars with business partner Intellicheck Mobilisa – even though the description of the earmark -- requested by influential defense subcommittee chairman Norm Dicks -- is almost identical to one he sought for the company last year.

By David Heath

Despite Pledge to Curtail Corporate Earmarks, Politicians Pursue Them

Despite a promise to curtail so-called corporate earmarks, eight of the 60 members on the key House spending committee appear to be attempting to funnel money to those same businesses through nonprofit organizations.

By David Heath

Are New Digital Networks Part of the Cure?

It's an early test of the $27 billion gamble by the Obama administration that medical records technology can achieve specific cost reductions and health improvements. But will it work? By Emma Schwartz and Fred Schulte

By Emma Schwartz and Fred Schulte

This Candidate Doesn't Just Run - He Oversaw the Company Managing Elections

BOGOTÁ, Colombia - The man most likely to become Colombia’s next president this Sunday has played a previously undisclosed role as a corporate officer of the company hired to run the nation’s...

By Nadja Drost

As Student Credit Card Debt Rises, Banks Quietly Reward Schools

Universities are earning millions of dollars quietly selling names and addresses of students and graduates to credit card companies while allowing them special access. Schools earn royalty payments that multiply as students use cards and accumulate debt.  By Ben Protess

By Ben Protess

VIDEO: Tapped Out: How an Unpaid Water Bill Cost a Baltimore Woman Her Home

One raw day in early February, Vicki Valentine stood by helplessly as real estate investors snatched her West Baltimore home over what began with an unpaid city water bill of $362. Valentine lost the property after the city sold her debt to investors through a contentious and byzantine legal process called a tax sale. This little-known type of foreclosure can enrich investors as growing numbers of property owners struggle to pay their bills.

By Lagan Sebert, Ben Protess and Fred Schulte

The Other Foreclosure Menace

Her mortgage paid off, a woman loses her home over a small water bill. Amid the economic downturn, it's happening in Baltimore and other cities where big banks, brokerage houses, and other investors buy the right to collect paltry municipal debts from citizens.  By Fred Schulte, Lagan Sebert & Ben Protess

By Fred Schulte, Ben Protess and Lagan Sebert

Goldman Sachs Publicly Backs Financial Reform — While Dispatching Army of Lobbyists

For all of Goldman Sachs’ professed support for an overhaul of financial regulations, the megabank hasn’t exactly withdrawn its army of lobbyists. Far from wearing out its welcome, the firm is...

By Adele Hampton

Too Big to Jail?

During the S&L crisis, regulators helped bring big cases against bank bosses. This time, they trust banks to report their own suspected crimes. Could that account for why so few cases are being filed?

By David Heath

VIDEO: 'The Perfect Crime'

There is growing evidence that fraud was at the heart of the current financial crisis. But so far, no high-level bank executives have been hauled off to jail. One of the reasons may be...

By Lagan Sebert

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